Rotating retort



Oct.. 6, 1925.

F1 s. BAcoN nom'nm 111110111' rma Apru'v, 192s Pat/entend, Oct. 6, 19.25.

" UNITED STATES` j 1,556,194 PATENT caricia.

FREDERIC S. BACON', 0F MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT.

no'iwrnre nn'ronr.

Application led April 7, 1923. Serial No. y630,501.

class by means of which the separation of such ingredients may be conducted in a thorough, eficient and expeditious manner.

'accompanying drawings, in which- One form of apparatus embodying my in.

vention and in the construction and use of which the objects herein set out, as well as others, may be attained, is illustrated in the Fi re 1 is a view in central vertical section engthwise through an bodying my invention. l

Figure 2 is a view ,in cross section, lon plane denoted by the dotted -line 2-2 of Figure 3. I "d Figure 3 is a view in side elevation, scale enlarged, of la portion of the apparatus,

showing parts broken away at opposite ends and also intermediate said ends.

While my invention is not limited in its use to the treatment of. any specific kind of jmateria'l, yet as i`t finds ready adaptation in the separation from oil shale 0f the various ingredients comprised in such shale, I' have illustrated my inventiony in connection with an 'apparatus especially adaptedA for the Vtreatment of such material, such apparatus,

generall speaking, comprising a base or foundation for tubes4 that are rotatably mounted upon said foundation, the latter also being provided to receive or contain heating means of any suitable kindv for heating the tubes.

n The structure as shown herein is com-l posed of several sections arranged in downwardly stepped formation from the inlet to the outlet end'of said structure. The section at the inlet end of the structure includes posts 5-6 two of each of said posts located at each enddof the section. The intermediate section is composed partially of two of the posts 6 and artially of the ends of two side walls '1, said-side walls being comprised in the outlet section of the apparatus.

apparatus empreferably projecting througlh The posts 5 and are spaced apartl both lengthwise and laterally lof the structure and the ends of the sides 7 are spaced from the posts 6. The'severalposts and side walls HEISSUED" are suitably formed with shoulders or ledges to receive other parts comprising the inlet, intermediate and outlet sections of the apparatus. l

The inlet and intermediate sections are provided with bottom plates 8 resting upon the ledges above referred to and end plates 9 are supported upon and rise from said bottom plates. Sides 10 are' also supported "upon the bottom plates, the whole together with ,top\ plates 11 comprising a compartment constituting a. furnace 12 appurtenant to each of the sections.v The furnace of the outlet section is composed of the side walls 7 end walls 13 and a top plate 14. Each of form andv construction, or the heat may be supplied by any other suitable heating apsV pliance. It willbe understood that the corner posts., top, bottom and` end plates and 'the' sides and sidewallshereinbefore described, are composed of any suitable material'to support the structure andv to withstand the he/at conditions to which the apparatus will be subjected. Eachof the end plates has 'openings to receive projections from flanged journals 16--17 that are v mounted in any suitable manner, as upon rollers 18, so that they may be easily -rotated.

-' A cone shaped tube 19 appurtenaiit to each ofthe sections is 4secured at each end to one of these journals,l said tubes the ,Y journals. The small end of "eac tube is located at the receiving end of the chamber yin each section and the large end of said tube is located at the discharge end of each chamber, and the rollers above referred'to permit said tubes to be easily rotated. This rotation may be obtained as by means of a. sprocket chain 2O passing around sprocket wheels secured one to a driving shaft 21 and the' other to the journal 16. This shaftmay be driven as by means ofca motor 22 orl any other' suitable source of power, in the structure shown the motor being connected with the shaft 21. as by means of sprockets and a sprocket chain 23.

lA discharge housing .24 is located at the discharge end of the tube in each section of 75 the furnaces is supplied with heating'means, 1 "as burners 15 that may be of any suitable 27 are pro] the `apparatus, the journal 17 preferably projecting into said housing. The bottom of each housing has ya discharge opening 25,l and the top of each housing has a gasdischarge tube 26 projecting, preferably,l from the end wall of the housing.

It will be found in many instances that a plain tube may -be employed with satisfactory results in the sections, the taper of the tube bein such as to provide the necessary feed of t ematerial along the tube from the receiving to the discharge end, but as a means for disturbing the regular movement of the material as it travels .along the tube, I have shown fins 274 located on opposite sides of the interior of the tube and extending lengthwise thereof. It will be understood, however, that these fins may, or'maIy not, be employed as circumstances may demand.

The rollers 18 are mounted upon bars 35 extending across the apparatus and supported by the sides thereof, this applying to the rollers 18 at botythe inlet and outlet ends of the tubes.

The apparatus as ordinarily constructed will comprise a plurality of the sections that may be constructed in any suitable manner and of any desired material, each equipped with apparatus as hereinabove set forth, such description applying in many respects to all of the sections. The number of such sections to be employed may vary depending upon the demands upon the apparatus.

Asa means for supplying the apparatus with material a hopper 29 may be located at the receiving end of the receiving section of the apparatus, and a feed worm3() may extend into a discharge opening 31 from the hopper leading into the small end of the tube 19 at the receiving end of the apparatus. This worm may be driven as by means of a belt passing around a pulley 32.- The discharge openings 25 in the housings 24 each leads into a receiving opening 33 in a head 34:, which receiving openings conduct the material from the large end ofone rotating tube to the small end of the succeeding rotating tube. As a means for aiding the.,feed of the material through the receiving openings 33 into the tube the fins 'ected as at 28 beyond the'endof the tube into such receiving openings.

In the operation of the device the material, as oil shale, is fed into the hopper 29 and the apparatus being in operation, the conical tubes being rotated, and heat .being applied to such tubes, the material will pass from the receiving to the discharge end of each of the tubes. i As such material is heatedthe gases and vapors will rise in the tubes, the tops of which slope upwardly toward the discharge ends thereof to permit such gases and vapors to readily and naturally vflow to and out of the gas discharge tubes 26 or such other discharges as may be provided. These gases and vapors may then be disposed of in any well-known manner, to separate them, as by condensation,

into the various ingredients, and this operation will take place with respect to each of the tubes 19. Thesetubes will bc employed in such numbers as to enable all of the gases and vapors to be extracted from a mass of material passing from the inlet of the first tube to the outlet of the last v tube, the residue of such materialpassing through the discharge opening of the last tube. 4

ll claim- 1. A retort comprising a series of end communicating tapered tubes rotatably Ymounted and arranged in stepped down formation, the smallerv ends of the. tubes communicating with the larger ends of the tubes, the smaller ends of the tubes forming the inlets, vapor and gas conducting means for the larger end of each tube, and the smaller receiving end disposed below the lower side of the larger end of the adjacent tu e.

2. A retort comprising a series of end communicating tapered tubes rotatably mounted and arranged in stepped down formation, the smaller ends of the tubes communicating with the larger ends of the tubes, the smaller ends of the tubes forming the inlets, vapor and gas conducting means for the larger end of each tube, the smaller receiving end disposed below the lower side of the larger endv of the adjacent tube, and there being a material collecting chamber bet-Ween the tubes.

3. A retort comprising a series of end communicating tapered tubes rotatably mounted and arranged in stepped down formation, the smaller ends of the tubes communicating with the larger -ends of the tubes, t esmaller ,ends of the tubes forming the inle s, vapor and gas conducting means for the larger end of each tube, the smaller receiving end disposed below the lower side of the larger end of the adjacent tube, and longitw dinally extending fins carried by the inner face of each tube and projecting outwardly of the smaller end thereof.

4. A' retort comprising a series -of end communicating tapered tubes rotatably mounted and arranged in stepped down formation, the smaller ends of the tubes communicating with the larger ends of the tubes, the smaller ends of the tubes forming the inlets, vapor and gas conducting means for the larger end of each tube, the smaller receiving enddisposed below the lower side of the larger end of the adjacent tube, there being a material collecting chamber .between each tube, and longitudinally extending fins carried by the inner face of each tube and projccting outwardly of the smaller end thereof.

A retort comprising a series of end communicating tapered tubes rotatably mounted and arranged in stepped down formation, the smaller ends of the tubes communicating with the larger ends of the tubes, the smaller ends of the tubes forming the inlets, vapor and gas conducting means for the larg-cr end of each tube, the smaller receiving end disposed below the lower side of the larger endof the adjacent tube, bearing supports for each end of the tubes and power means connected to the bearings for the smallerends of the tubes.

6. A retort comprising a series of end communicating tapered tubes rotatably mounted and arranged in stepped down formation, the smaller ends of the tubes communicating with the larger vends of the tubes, the smaller ends of the tubes forming the inlets, vapor and gas conducting means for the larger end of each tube, the smaller receiving end disposed below th@ lower side of the larger end of the adjacent tube, there being a material collecting chamber between each tube, bearing supports for each cud ot' the tubes and power means connected to the bearings for the smaller ends of the tubes.

7. A retort comprising a series ol' end communicating tapered tubes rotatably mounted and arranged in stepped down for- \mation, the smaller ends of the tubes communicating with the larger ends of the tubes, the smaller ends of the tubes forming the inlets, vapor and'gas conducting means for the larger end of each tube, the smaller receiving end disposed below the lower side of the larger end of the adjacent tube, and independently controlled heating means associated with each tube whereby gases possessing different Chemical properties may b sequestered from each tube.

8. A retort comprising a series ofv end communicating tapered -tubes rotatably mounted and arranged in stepped down formation, the smallerV ends of the tubes communicating with the larger ends ofthe tubes,

incans associated with eaclry tube whereby gases possessing different chemical properties may be sequestered from each tube.

FREDERIC S. BACON. 

